SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Brady Set To Smash More Bucs Records

It took just one year for Tom Brady to do a few things no Bucs quarterback has ever done. In 2020, Brady became the first Tampa Bay quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season. Not only that, but he also became the franchise’s first-ever QB to win Super Bowl MVP honors.

During the 2020 regular season, Brady broke Jameis Winston’s single-season passing touchdowns record with 40. He then broke his own record last year with 43 passing scores. And Brady also broke Winston’s single-season passing yardage record in 2021, throwing for 5,316 yards to lead the league. That wound up being the third-most passing yards in a single season in NFL history.

As Brady enters what very well could be his final season in Tampa Bay – and perhaps the NFL – he has more Bucs records to smash. Let’s take a look.

In just two seasons in Tampa Bay, Brady has already passed Josh Freeman (80) with 83 career passing touchdowns. Up next is Winston’s franchise record of 121. If Brady passes for 39 touchdowns in 2022 he’ll topple that mark and become the Bucs’ all-time touchdown leader. Brady has thrown for 40 and 43 TDs in each of his two seasons in red and pewter, so that seems probable if he stays healthy.

Other Bucs Records Brady Might Topple

Brady has eight-game winning drives with the Bucs. That ranks right behind Vinny Testaverde (9), Freeman (10), Winston (11), Trent Dilfer (13) and Doug Williams (14). Brady has averaged four game-winning drives per season, so he’ll wind up with 12 after 2022 if he maintains that average. But a much tougher schedule could mean Brady might have to come through with some more game-winning drives. Seven more this season and he’ll beat Williams’ franchise record.

And those seven would likely give Brady a tie for the franchise record of fourth-quarter comebacks, which is currently 13 – held by Williams. Brady has six fourth-quarter comebacks in his two years in Tampa Bay.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brady currently holds the career completion percentage record of 66.7. That edges out Brian Griese’s 65.6 for the lead. Brady completed 65.7% of his passes in his first year in Tampa Bay. Last year, he improved that percentage to 67.5%. It seems like a safe bet that he will hold on to this Bucs record in 2023.

If you think Brady holds the Bucs’ highest QB rating distinction, you would be wrong. Brady’s Bucs QB rating is 102.1 through two years. That beat Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career mark in red and pewter of 94.7.

However, backup Blaine Gabbert actually has the highest QB rating in Tampa Bay history for those appearing in at least 10 games. Gabbert, who has mostly been used in late-game, kneel-down situations, has a QB rating of 108.6. That’s mostly because he threw two touchdowns in the second half of the Bucs’ 47-7 win over the Lions in 2020. And he has yet to throw an interception in mop-up duty.

The One Bucs Record That Will Still Be Out Of Reach

The one Bucs passing record Brady won’t break in 2023 is Winston’s career passing yards mark. In two years, Brady has thrown for an amazing 9,949 yards. That currently ranks seventh on the Bucs’ all-time list.

He needs 992 yards to pass Johnson (10,940) and 2,699 to move past Williams (12,648) into fifth place. If Brady passes for 4,872 yards this season, he’ll move past Dilfer (12,969), Freeman (13,534) and Testaverde (14,820) into second place. But Brady would need another year to surpass Winston’s career passing mark of 19,737. He’s currently 9,788 yards away from that record.

A pair of 4,900-yard passing seasons in red and pewter would do it.

If Brady returns to Tampa Bay in 2023 that could certainly happen.

FAB 2. Brady’s Red Zone Perfection Is Amazing

One of Tom Brady’s most incredible records with the Bucs is his mastery in the red zone. In 39 games in Tampa Bay, including the postseason, Brady has thrown 68 red zone touchdowns.

Brady has thrown 60 red zone touchdowns in the regular season and eight in the postseason. Those 68 scores account for 68% of the 99 total touchdowns he’s thrown in Tampa Bay. He has thrown 83 in the regular season and 16 in the postseason.

But what’s even more impressive is that Brady hasn’t thrown a single interception in the red zone since joining the Bucs.

PFF reports that Brady has 295 consecutive red zone passes without an interception in the regular season. That’s truly remarkable.

As a defensive coordinator charged with trying to keep quarterbacks out of the end zone, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles marvels at Brady’s feat.

Bucs WR Mike Evans and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“That’s very rare,” Bowles said. “It still amazes me to this day. You have to be a very smart, savvy quarterback to avoid the things you avoid. I’m sure there have been a few tipped balls here and there. But for the most part, he understands that we need points – whether it’s seven or three. He’s been doing that a long time. [The red zone TD-INT stat] one of his babies – I think he takes a lot of pride in it and I think that says a lot about the guy.”

Brady’s Red Zone Targets

Do you remember who caught Brady’s first touchdown pass in 2020? It also happened to be the first of his 60 regular season red zone TD passes.

If you guessed Mike Evans, you’d be wrong. Evans did catch a 2-yard touchdown at New Orleans in the Bucs’ 34-23 loss in Week 1 that year. But that was Brady’s second TD pass as a Buccaneer.

The first was actually a 9-yard strike to former Bucs tight end O.J. Howard. Brady wound up throwing 28 red zone touchdowns out of his 40 TDs in 2020. Evans caught the most with nine red zone scores, followed by Chris Godwin with six and Rob Gronkowski with five.

In 2021, 32 of Brady’s 43 touchdown passes were in the red zone. Evans hauled in 10 of them, with Godwin and Gronkowski each catching five.

Brady threw seven red zone touchdowns in the 2020 postseason, with Gronkowski and Mike Evans leading with two each. Leonard Fournette, Cameron Brate and Antonio Brown also caught red zone TDs in the 2020 postseason. Gronkowski also caught Brady’s lone red zone TD pass in the 2021 playoffs – a 2-yarder against Philadelphia.

FAB 3. What If Gronk’s Retirement Is A Practical Joke?

Immediately after Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement, his agent did something I’ve never seen before. Just minutes after the announcement was made public, Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he envisions Gronkowski playing again.

That’s odd.

And knowing how Gronkowski likes to have a good time and play practical jokes, the first thing that came to my mind was him possibly “pulling a Tom Brady” and un-retiring after 40 days. That would mean Gronk skipping the first few days of training camp and arriving in Tampa the weekend of July 30-31.

But if Gronk is playing some kind of practical joke on Brady, the Bucs and their fans, let’s hope general manager Jason Licht is in on it. Tampa Bay will have to invest millions in a veteran like Jared Cook, Blake Jarwin, Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph or someone else to replace the future Hall of Famer.

The Bucs can’t sign Gronk’s replacement only to have him say in a month, “Hey, just kidding! I’m coming back!” And then pay Gronk millions, too.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

So, if the Bucs don’t sign a veteran prior to the start of training camp, you can still hold out hope for this pipe dream scenario to happen and for Gronk to return.

If this isn’t a joke, then we should all heed Rosenhaus’ words.

Will Gronk Return Midseason?

Perhaps Gronkowski wants to forego training camp and the start of the season and only play a half of a season. Maybe Gronk doesn’t trust his body, which has played 11 years in the league, to hold up over a full 17-game season. Injuries have taken their toll on Gronkowski, now 33, over the years. Last year, he missed five games after breaking ribs and puncturing his lung in a Week 3 loss against the Rams.

In 2020, Gronkowski saw Antonio Brown join the team in November and help the Bucs win a Super Bowl just over three months later. Perhaps he’ll follow suit as a surprise midseason addition?

Gronkowski already retired once following New England’s Super Bowl win in 2018. After sitting out the 2019 season due to injuries, the 31-year old Gronkowski came out of retirement to reunite with Brady in Tampa Bay. The Bucs traded for Gronkowski to acquire his rights and he helped the team win Super Bowl LV.

Maybe this time, Gronkowski shortens his retirement from a year to just a few months and returns to help the Bucs win another Super Bowl.

FAB 4. Bucs May Wait To Sign Some Veterans

As Pewter Report’s Matt Matera pointed out on Thursday, the Bucs have a couple of glaring holes at both outside linebacker and tight end. It’s not that the Bucs lack enough bodies or enough talent. It’s that Tampa Bay lacks experience at both positions.

But Bucs general manager Jason Licht might wait until deep into training camp or perhaps after the preseason to address one or both of those needs.

Bucs OLB Cam Gill – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Second-year player Joe Tryon-Shoyinka replaces Jason Pierre-Paul as a starting outside linebacker opposite Pro Bowler Shaq Barrett. Veteran Anthony Nelson, who is in a contract year, is the top reserve off the bench. If all three stay healthy, the Bucs should be fine with either Cam Gill, Elijah Ponder or perhaps seventh-round pick Andre Anthony as the fourth outside linebacker. But if the Bucs lose Barrett, who missed three games last year, all of a sudden they lack a ton of experience on the field.

The same can be said at tight end, where Cameron Brate is really the only veteran on the team. Codey McElroy, 29, has been around since 2019, but mostly on the practice squad. He’s played in just three games in three years and isn’t a lock to make the team. Tampa Bay invested a pair of draft picks in Cade Otton (fourth round) and Ko Kieft (sixth round). The Bucs like their talent and are optimistic for their futures. Brate is not an ideal starter, especially after losing Rob Gronkowski to retirement. So, if he goes down with an injury, the Bucs are awfully young and inexperienced.

It seems likely that the Bucs would want to add an experienced edge rusher like former Buc Carl Nassib, Justin Houston or Carlos Dunlap at some point. The same could be said at tight end, with veterans like Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook and Blake Jarwin still available.

Bucs Have Waited To Add Players After Camp Before

Yet, with plenty of young talent that the Bucs like already on the roster, there might not be a rush to sign a veteran right now. Tampa Bay might go through training camp, giving the young edge rushers and tight ends more reps to see how quickly they develop. Adding a veteran at one or both of those positions would only take away reps in camp and in the preseason games from guys like Gill, Ponder, Anthony, Otton, Kieft and others.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht and head coach Todd Bowles may want to access the positions in late August to see if a veteran is truly needed. If Otton looks like a No. 1 tight end, the Bucs might be tempted not to add a veteran tight end at the start of the season. That would also leave the door open just in case Gronkowski wants to come out of retirement midseason. If Gill or Ponder ends up leading the Bucs in sacks in the preseason, perhaps going with a young, rising player with more upside makes more sense than signing an aging veteran whose skills are in decline.

Licht is known for his patience. In 2014, he acquired defensive end Jacquies Smith off waivers in early September. He wound up being a two-year starter. The same happened in 2018, when Licht claimed Nassib off waivers a week before the season started. And running back Leonard Fournette wasn’t signed until a week prior to the start of the 2020 season.

Help might be on the way at outside linebacker and tight end – but it may or may not arrive until after training camp.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• MIKE IS TOM’S MAIN MAN: In two seasons together, Bucs receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Tom Brady have connected for 27 touchdowns. Brady and Evans also have a pair of postseason touchdowns, too. Last year, Evans broke his own record for most TD catches in a season with 14. What’s on tap for 2022?

• BRADY CHOSE THE BUCS – TWICE: While rumors swirled this offseason about Tom Brady possibly playing elsewhere, he ultimately came out of retirement to play with the Bucs. That means he’s now chosen Tampa Bay twice.

• DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM, GRONK: Retired Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski had some fun on Twitter regarding his re-retirement and Brady’s short retirement.

• FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAMER: Gronk’s stats speak for themselves.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• REACTION TO GRONKOWSKI’S RETIREMENT ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. Pewter Report Podcasts typically air on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 4:00 pm EST in the offseason.

On Monday, Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds discussed the Bucs’ offensive sleepers heading into training camp.

Tuesday’s episode featured plenty of discussion regarding Rob Gronkowski’s retirement announcement.

Matera, Reynolds and J.C. Allen analyzed the Bucs’ defensive sleepers heading into training camp.

Matera and Kasey Hudson talked about whether the Bucs are still a top NFC team even without Gronkowski on Thursday.

Watch the Pewter Report Podcasts live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. We archive all Pewter Report Podcasts. So, you can watch the recorded episodes if you missed them live.

There is no better time to listen to or watch a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than Friday afternoon on the way home from work. Or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Report Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Report Podcasts on PewterReport.com, you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course, the Pewter Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

FINAL VIDEO

• GRONK’S BEST PLAYS AS A BUCCANEER: You might have to watch this video on YouTube, but the Bucs have compiled a list of Rob Gronkowki’s best plays in red and pewter during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Enjoy.